Raiders pass on Leonard Williams, take receiver Amari Cooper

The Oakland Raiders have a tough history this century at the NFL draft.

The list of picks made after the Raiders’ first-round pick is incredible, including Aaron Rodgers and Calvin Johnson. And their 2015 pick will be questioned as well.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted outside linebacker Dante Fowler with the third pick, right after quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota went with the first two selections, USC defensive end Leonard Williams fell to the Raiders at No. 4. Many consider him the best prospect in the draft (including himself). Instead, the Raiders went with Alabama receiver Amari Cooper. Williams’ slide continued when the Washington Redskins took Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff with the fifth pick. Williams finally went sixth to the New York Jets.

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Cooper (who was the third player in the first four picks who did not attend the draft in Chicago), fills a big need as the Raiders build around promising quarterback Derek Carr. Getting Carr some big-time targets is a must, and Cooper was one of the safest picks in the draft, a very productive and polished prospect out of Alabama. It’s hard to say the Raiders made a bad pick. And Cooper should be productive right away, assuming Carr continues to build off what he showed as a rookie last season.

But like with previous picks, everyone will keep an eye on what Williams does in his career. If he becomes the dominant defensive force that many think he’ll be, there might be some regret in Oakland. Then again, if Cooper helps Carr become the franchise quarterback the Raiders clearly hope he is, that’ll be just fine too.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab